Coal-cutting machine and the like



Dec. 16, 1930. w. c. BLACK 1,785,574

COAL CUTTING MACHINE AND THE LIKE Filed May 2. 1928 2 sheets-sheet 1 f/v vmtox Dec. 16, 1930. w. c. BLACK v COAL CUTTING MACHINE AND THE LIKE Filed May 2, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 16, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM CHRISTIE BLACK, OF .'DUDLEY, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR T0 MATTHEW SMITH MOORE, OF BRUSSELS, BELGIUM i COAL-GTTING MACHINE AND THE LIKE Application' nled'may 2, 192s, serial No.

This invention has reference to coal cutting machines andthe like andV it has for its chief object to provide a gear head structure that will enable a cutting machine of the bar type to be easily converted into a machine of the chainr type and viceversa. A further object is to provide for anl efficient lubrication of 'thegears'while dispensing with the cumbersome oil boxes whichhad to be affixed to the .10 socalled banjo or head portion of the cutter bar mechanism when inverted to cut above the pavement.' f Y In coal cutting machines the gear head comprises a casing containing the gears for re- .15 ducing the high speed of the electric or compressed air motors down to the speed suitable for driving the cutting members either of the bar or chain type. It is well known that in chain machines the cutting members have f to-bey driven' at a much lower speed than in bark machines. Considerable inconvenience is experienced when itis desired to change l krthe machine from one type to the other as the gear head has to be entirely or at least partly is taken -to pieces, the parts are heavy and difficultto handle, particularly in the confined i spaces underground, and the interchange aL ways'entails a great loss of time.

, f According to my present invention the gear 53o head is so constructed that the machine may be vchanged from the bar type to the chain j type or conversely by the mere substitution of parts external to the gear head casing. To this end the verticalshaft for transmitting :85 the driving motion from the motor to the i cutting members is permanently mounted in a rotatable support seated at its periphery on the base of thek gear casing, and to this support is detachably secured thebanjo of the .4.0l cutter bar or the head of the chain jib as the case may be. The lower end of the vertical .shaft projects below its external support and is adapted'to engagea bevel wheel for rotatingthe bar or a sprocket wheel for driving the "'45 chain, `so that thesel wheels and the bar and chain mechanism are the'only parts that have tofbe'interchanged. yThe gear head itself reqires no change or adjustment yand the proper .speedis impartedthereto by controlling its 3150 driving'shaftfby means off a change speed 274,437, and in Belgium May 12, 1927.

gear as described and claimed in my co-pending patent application SenNo. 153,643, led 9th December,v1926, which gear then is so arranged that one speed ratio will suit bar cutters and another chain cutters.

The support for the vertical shaft preferably has a flat base forming a fluid-tight partition closing up the bottom opening of the gear head casing so that when the banjo of the bar mechanism is secured in positionunder this base, it is sealed off from the gear head casing in immediate proximity to the gears in the banjo.

This is of particular advantage when the machine7 or the gear head, is inverted in e5 order that the bar may cut at a certain height above floor level. Heretofore it was found necessary to aiX oil boxes to the outside surface of the banjo to lubricate the cutter bar bearings and these boxes limited the height to which the machine could be raised near the roof. By means of the construction according to the invention, oil placed in the banjo is retained at the desired level and external oil boxesare dispensed with.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating by way vof example a gear head embodying my present invention:

Fig. 1 shows in vertical section the gear head tted with a bar mechanism. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same gear head with a chain mechanism.

In the drawing, 1 is the machine frame or body, 2 the gear head casing ri 'd therewith, 3 the banjo or casing of the ar mech- 85 anism (Fig. 1') and 4 the head of the chain mechanism (Fig. 2). 5 iis the vertical shaft which is rotated from the driving shaft 6 by means of the pinion 7 and bevel wheel 8.

' As shown the vertical shaft 5 is perma 90 nently supported in an external support 9 preferably provid-ed with roller bearings 10, and it has a splined lower end 11 on which may be fitted at willl a pinion 12 (Fig. 1) for rotating the bar 13, or a hollow shaft 14 95 (Fig. 2) mounted in the head 4 of the jib 15 and carrying a sprocket wheel 16 for driving the chain 17 in a well known manner. A ball bearing 18 may be provided between the upper end of the shaft 5 and the. top 100 is capable of rotating on itsfseatfwhen required, can be secured by. meansY of :screws 21 orothervvise, the banjo 3 or the jib head f4, as the casemay be.

f In order to Yimpart to the shaft "V5 ythe ref y quired rate of motion for rotating the bar or the chain at the properspe-ed the shaft v6 is driven by the motor ythrough the medium of a change speed gear as disclosedinfmy said application Ser. blo/153,643, in which the gears can easily bevdimensioned so as to give the speed ratio suitable for each case. It Will readily be understood that With the arrangement abovedescribed the interchange from one typevof machine tothe other can be Aperformed With greatfease andin very littletime, since it involves only the substitution of the kjib-fforthezbanjo.,or vice versa rand the parts;y ofthe gear head required neither change nor-adjustment'.

Normally the machine loperates on the floor ofthe seam'vvith the cutter members cutting at floor level, but under'certain conditionsitis-necessary to cut Well'abovefloor level, for instance in dirt band, and in order to maintain thefstabilityof the machine and to keep the Weight as low as possible, the machine'. oratleast the gear head is turned upsidefdovvn so that the cutter mem bersl are approximately in line-Withthe top of themachine.

In machines of the bar type," however, .the lieightto which the barvcouldbe raised near the roof Was limited by the necessity of pro viding oil boxes on the outside of the banjo in iorder properly to lubricate the cutter bar bearings. The present -invention-aiords a convenient means of avoiding this inconvenf ience-byshaping;the ybase portion 19 ofthe support 9 asLadisc-shaped partition having a uid-tight joint with itsfseat 20.v 'When the gear head is inverted lthe Weight of thesupfportfl) and shaftrefsts `on theibearing 18 and-,the contacting surfaces-'of :the partition ,-19 vandvrl-seat 20 remain in. duid-tight engagement, While the vWeight of theifbanjo'orjib is l taken Yup by a lip 22 or QS-provided :thereon 'in aV Well'knoivn mannerl Oil introduced intorthebanjo fthenfvvillbe ret'ainedtherein ks o-that the lubrication of the cutter barrbearings is. secured Without the assistance of eX- ternal oil boXes. lt Will'beunderstood-that the/term cutting mechanism used inthe appended claims applies to any construction yfof baror chain cutting mechanisms and that the particular `structure shown-,may be varied 1in' its details Withouty departing-l from the. scope of the .appended claims. f` i.

"Lclaim inga vertical `shaft and a gear'for actuating Y said'shaft, agear head casing having an open pbase, a support for said shaft permanently seated on said base, said support being rotatable onsaidqbase, a cutting mechanism, and

means for detachably securing said mechanism: to said support. c-

v3. In a machine for Vcoalcutting-,and` the like, the combinationzof afgear'head comprising a vertical. shaft anda gear for'actuating saidshaft, a gear casing -havingfanfannular seat surrounding an opening, anda-member rotatably mounted. inY saidy casing,. said member having ia' tubular portionlsurrounding gaging Vsaid seat, a cutting 'mechanism, and means for detachably securing said mecha nism to the disc-shaped portion ref @said member.v f Y l' 4. v:In a 'machineifor coal cutting'-and the like, the. combination YWith a :gear headcasing having a circularfopening-of avertical shaft projecting:through said lopening and a support for said shaftcomprising a tubular portion surrounding said shaftand an an-y nular flange rotatably'.seatedonfthe edge 'of said opening, acutting vmechanism adapted to 4be operated from said 'shaftf-and'means Asaid shaft and Va disc-shaped' -portion ren for detachably secu-ring said `mechanismto Y said annularlfl-ange.

l 5.'In a machine for coal cutting-andthei like, the combination of agear headl comprising a verticalshaft and a gear for-actuating said shaft, a gear head casinghaving'anope'ning, and a support ffor-saidshaft rotatably seated on thefe'dge' of saidfopeningL and having a Huid-tight engagement therewith, `a

cutting mechanism, a removable --operative connection betweenlsaid shaft and said'fmechanism, said connection being eXternal'tosaid casing, and meansV for detachably vsecuring said mechanism tosaid support;Y j

6. In la machine for coalcutting andthe like, the combination o'fa gear'fhead comprising, a ,vertical shaft landa gear for rotating said-shaft,a' gearhead casing having an annular seat ysurrounding an opening, V'a

vmember restingon said seat,'said member being rotatable in said casing, said shaft eX- tending'th'rough said Vmember and through said opening, cuttingmechanismadaptedio bejdirectly 'secured'to said member, andremovable means'on theouterfendofsaidshaft for driving said` cuttingmechanism.

7. "In acoal cutting'machina .the combina- Till@ a casing therefor, and means for enabling said machine to be converted from the bar to the chain type and conversely comprising a hollow member rotatably seated in said 's casing and forming a permanent bearing for said shaft, means for detaehably seeuring a cutting mechanism to said member and removable means external to said casing for providing an operative connection between said shaft and said cutting mechanism.

WILLIAM CHRISTIE BLACK. 

